The Rock Blogger

Fight Amp . Hungry for Nothing . 2008 3.5 stars .

New Jersey’s Fight Amp play an interesting mix of post-hardcore, noise rock and sludge metal, with aggressive and intricate songs that thrash by with burning intensity. Tight stoner rock grooves, chugging rhythms, dense bass lines and shouting vocals blaze their way across these 8 tracks, maintaining a throttling energy in the same tradition as post-hardcore heroes Converge and Today is the Day. Unlike their contemporaries however, Fight Amp leaves the more abstract frills behind and instead opt for a more ragged display of visceral power - this is strictly a back-against-the-wall kind of ride.

The band’s performance, while winding through suffocating guitar work and pummeling drums, is incredibly focused and to the point. The sludgy dynamics serves to enhance the dense sound created here, rather than taking it into any post-rock tangents - a move genre purists should appreciate. The punchy drum rolls, even in the slower sections, keep a propulsive momentum that continues throughout the whole disc. The caustic vocals are choked full of searing negativity and complement the dirty aesthetic that permeates across the crawling mayhem of tracks like "Bound and Hagged" and "Get High and Fuck". As the band alternates between speedy punk numbers and sluggish bursts of noise, the mood remains seething and crazed, making this a fine display of drug-addled catharsis.

Hungry for Nothing , being as effective as it is, evokes feelings of madness and frustration, creating an experience that is genuine and sometimes draining. While I personally prefer the more experimentalist touches found on albums like Converge’s Jane Doe , there is much to like in Fight Amp, even if their sneering attitude makes me want to kill someone. Check it.

Borknagar . Borknagar . 1996. 4 stars.

Yet another brilliant progressive/black metal album from Norway. Borknagar features genre stalwarts Garm (Ulver), Ivar Ivar Bjørnson (Enslaved) and Infernus (Gorgoroth), combining their relentless talents in a cohesive and epic package.

Compositionally, Borknagar consists of raw and aggressive bursts interwoven with majestic folk elements and operatic song structures. Garm’s vocals are superb as always, offering both his blistering howl and clean choral tones to the mix, fleshing out the spiraling blast beats and soaring, distorted guitar riffs. Icy keyboards and acoustic guitars are also used sparingly to add more space to the thundering dynamics.

As noted above, this music has a progressive tinge to it, moving beyond typical black metal fair with extended martial instrumentals like "Tanker Mot Tind (Kvelding)", refined acoustic/electric contrasts like on "Ved Steingard", and the general melodic complexity running through the whole album. I would highly recommended this to Ulver fans and also to those looking for a metal epic that is bold and atmospheric without it wallowing in a contrived, depressive state. This is brutal and beautiful.

P.S. I love the cover, I want to record something in that cabin!

Grimskalle Trell

While I was never the greatest fan of Marilyn Manson’s music, he really comes off as a well spoken and intelligent artist in this interview. I couldn’t think of a greater contrast to O’Reilly’s self-righteous, blustering manner. To be fair though, O’Reilly keeps his infamous temper in check and is courteous to his guest. I do find it funny that O’Reilly challenges Manson on his use of profanity in his lyrics, considering his own previous outbursts…

Yet another badass video from indie legends Guided By Voices. This video is unique because it actually has two songs in it, both from their Alien Lanes album. While the intro to this is a little confusing, I still get goose bumps when “Motor Away” kicks in. I wish I was cruising down the highway right now, blaring that song on the stereo. What a great driving tune.

Encomiast . Bathed in Sunlight . 2008. 4 stars .

Try as I may, I just can’t stop posting about the obscure albums I’ve stumbled across online. Some of them are just too good to leave untouched, so here goes. Bathed in Sunlight is a beautiful ambient/post-rock album from Colorado natives Encomiast that features five blissful songs that incorporate an impressive variety of ethereal sounds and instruments.

Transient drones wash over you from the outset of "Pumpkin", as layers of synth harmonies and distant vocals glide across each other in slow, hypnotic movements. Together they create a trace-inducing atmosphere that is subtly executed yet incredibly powerful in its effect. "If the Night Commands It" introduces light percussion into the mix, as soft tabla drums patter away against the deep bass lines before a shimmering guitar sweeps across in a delicate post-rock fashion. The meditative vocals of Ross Hagen gracefully enter, providing haunting lyrical descriptions of some twilight scene. While the musicianship never deviates far from the set patterns, it still draws you into a peaceful dream-like state.

"Laughter in the Storm" is probably the album’s stongest track, as clear tabla percussion again sets the stage for gentle acoustic guitar lines and some stunning flute passages that hover at the front of the mix. Hagen’s sparse vocals return to lend a dark, foreboding touch to the otherwise warm melodies. "My Chariot Awaits?" takes a little while to get going, as it meanders in aimless ambient noise, before finally fleshing out with soothing synth drones and cinematic echoes, reminding me of lonely whale songs or strange rumblings within a subway tunnel. The closing "Evergreen" introduces ominous female vocals that careen across the light soundscape before driving drums crash in, bringing us to a final, glorious crescendo. While this epic climax is not nearly as bombastic as conventional rock fair, its contrast to the rest of the song (and most of the album) is immediately satisfying and demonstrates Encomiast’s deliberate sense of pacing and structure.

Despite its often spare and detached composition, Bathed in Sunlight feels natural and welcoming as they want to ease the listener into a trance with the care and patience of a ancient shaman. Fans of minimalist music, film scores and ambient rock like Labradford will find much to like here. While you may have trouble finding a physical copy of this, as its release is very limited, you may have a chance securing one from the band’s website . Good luck, this is surely worth the effort.

The Gault . Even As All Before Us . 2005. 4 stars .

The Gault was a short-lived doom metal band formed out of the ashes of San Francisco’s acclaimed Weakling, and Even As All Before Us was their sole, devastating release. This hard to find album is one of the most emotionally exhausting recordings I have come across, as it incorporates the gloomy atmosphere of early industrial rock and melds it with jangly post-punk instrumentation, producing a depressive, droning sound that insulates your senses.

While the throbbing bass lines, martial drumming and Gothic vocals place The Gault among doom metal peers Warning and the more experimental work of Earth and Sunn O))), their cacophonous guitar work also follows a shoegazing torrent akin to The Angelic Process . Naming off influences and contemporaries is a suitable way of describing The Gault’s sound, but conveying the crushing effect this music has on you is a much harder task. It’s swirling rhythms and shimmering guitars are dizzying in their intensity and will drown out any distractions from the outside world. Even As All Before Us moves like a relentless undertow, constantly drawing you into a violently spinning current. This is not to say that The Gault’s music isn’t beautiful or redemptive, as tracks like "Country Road, Six Miles In" and "The Shore Becomes the Enemy" also feature the serene, airy vocals of Lorraine Rath to balance out the deep and booming voice of Ed Kunakemakorn, who dominates most of the album.

For its almost militant energy, disturbing vocals, and natural imagery, Even As All Before Us is a unique contribution to the doom metal genre, capturing the feeling of an arduous journey to somewhere far removed from the comforting spaces of the everyday. This is music that sticks with you long after the tracks are over, pushing you into a difficult, if not tormented, state of mind. Despite their challenging demeanor, The Gault are undeniably masters of genuine emotional delivery, playing out a haunting musical drama that sears its way into your memory.

Fleurety . Min tid skal komme . 1995. 5 stars .

A stunning and underwritten black metal album, Fleurety’s Min tid skal komme was years ahead of its time, pushing the boundaries of the genre with its post-rock and avant-garde touches. Among many of the elements making this creative effort standout is its use of Marian Aas Hansen’s soaring vocals, ringing over the band’s atonal harmonics with chilling clarity. When paired against the eerie melodies, psychedelic guitar work and terrifying growls, the result is simply astounding, possessing the same icy air as the work of Swans-era Jarboe.

The unconventional song structures and technical signature changes add a progressive drive to these 5 songs, often resembling the skeletal riffs and atmospheric bass of early post-rock bands Rodan and Slint. These bleak, and often folk-inspired, passages sharply turn into full on black metal assaults, complete with intense blast beats and vicious tremolo picking.

Every song on this album is long and adventurous, expanding across different musical territory without betraying the cold atmosphere that unifies the whole experience. The relationship between emotionality and complexity are extraordinarily fluid and natural, while still sounding unique and uncompromising. With Min tid skal komme, Norway’s Fleurety have crafted a work that is artful, moving and consistently interesting, rivaling Ulver’s tenacity and progressive spirit. These unsung pioneers deserve more accolades, as they have not only produced a work of tremendous genius, but also demonstrate that black metal and post rock styles can flow together quite beautifully, leaving a freshly blazoned trail for future avant-metal artists to follow.

I turn 23 today, and before I head out for beer and hamburgers, I thought I would come up with a list highlighting some of the revolutionary records that have come out since I was born. It’s kind of a retrospective of where rock has been and where it’s going, a celebration if you will. So here are some of my favorite records, organized by year, that have shared my place in history. Enjoy the list, I’m going to get plastered!

1985

Jesus and Mary Chain. Psychocandy

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Kayo Dot . Blue Lambency Downward . 2008. Hydra Head . 3.5 stars .

The highly anticipated Blue Lambency Downward , the third LP from Toby Driver’s avant-metal band Kayo Dot, is finally upon us, complete with its expansive jazz tangents and ethereally surreal vocals. While Kayo Dot’s previous efforts still contained some of the prog-metal elements found within Driver’s previous band Maudlin of the Well, their latest work moves in a more noticeably abstract direction, leaving the bursts of guitar noise and anguished screaming behind. The transition showcases the band’s maturity and place within experimental music circles, while also taking a calculated risk towards looser and more challenging compositions. The result is an album that is undeniably beautiful, but also fairly difficult to get into, as some of these dreamy travels, the first 4 tracks in particular, meander without cohesion.

As the evocative title suggests, the musicianship found here is certainly lambent, gliding luminously and effortlessly across these 7 movements. The delicate guitar lines, graceful violins and haunting saxophones provide a comforting light for Driver’s playful and otherworldly vocals, sounding like a lucid dream variation of Jeff Buckley. For all their stunning instrumentals, cosmic atmosphere and psychedelic tones, Kayo Dot can’t seem to strike a clear path through their colorful sonic forests, as the first half of the album wanders in a slow and detached fashion, never managing to merge on a one propulsive wavelength. Without a steady and progressive rhythm, these songs come off as terrific background music, rather than all-consuming trips.

As soon as we get to “The Awkward Windwheel”, things begin to pick up, as the drumming provides a consistent momentum, driving along Driver’s evocative stream-of-consciousness lyrics and the swelling coupling of strings and brass, as it all barrels towards a triumphant, crashing conclusion. “The Useless Ladder” is a shorter track, but within its concise structure we hear Driver’s strange and descriptive narratives with greater clarity, as he sings confidently amid the sorrowful violins and flute.

The finale of “Symmetrical Arizona” is probably the strongest piece on the album, and a clear highlight from Kayo Dot’s entire body of work. Fluid symphonic tones open things up slowly before a lonely guitar plays gloriously drawn-out licks reminiscent of Pink Floyd’s “Shine on You Crazy Diamond (Part 1-5)” The rest of the band then join in again for their last cathartic exercise, sounding more unified as they jam under enticing waves of saxophone. After being seemingly lost and disoriented, Kayo Dot finally come together to produce a shining example of the band’s progressive ambitions.

Despite its inconsistencies and somewhat unfocused moments, Blue Lambency Downward marks a welcomed transition for one of metal’s most fascinating acts. If you take the time to explore the detailed environments the band creates, you will surely find this to be a rewarding listen. For your astral journeys or wine-soaked nights, Blue Lambency Downwards makes for a fitting and absorbing soundtrack.

Moonsorrow. Tulimyrsky EP. 2008. 4.5 stars.

Helsinki’s Moonsorrow have produced a monster of an EP with Tulimyrsky, surpassing the full lengths of most black metal bands with its sheer scope and grandiosity. Running well over an hour, Moonsorrow’s latest redefines what an EP should be, as they produce long, winding epics that incorporate Norse mythology, folk music and historical themes with an intensely cinematic presentation. With what may be the longest EP of the year (if not of the entire genre), Moonsorrow have created a fine masterpiece.

The half-hour adventure that is “Tulimyrsky” starts things off with a dramatic voice-over sample that provides a dark narrative (in Finnish) that establishes thematics in a similar fashion to Godspeed You Black Emperor’s infamous “Dead Flag Blues”. After this mysterious intro, the band throttle forward into a blazing rhythm, complete with thundering blast beats, raging guitars and inspired vocal chanting, showcasing the band’s Viking-warrior aesthetics. Over the course of its gargantuan duration, the song weaves and wanders across massive heights, even dabbling in Medieval sounding acoustic passages and total thrash freak outs. The ride is a raucous one, as the variety of sounds and influences explored really do create feelings of conquest and discovery.

Following this journey is a faithful rendition of Metallica’s “For Whom the Bell Tolls” which is given a raw and seething black metal reinterpretation that doesn’t compromise the sacred integrity of the original version. This is probably one of the most impressive and fitting cover songs I’ve come across recently, as it takes you back to black metal’s thrash roots. After this nostalgic romp, Moonsorrow bring us to two re-recorded versions of earlier demos “Taistelu Pohjolasta” and “Hvergelmir” both epics in their own right with searing riffs and atmospheric synth melodies that strike a effective balance between violent chaos and majestic beauty, conjuring sublime natural scenes not unlike the mountains gracing the cover art. Moonsorrow then proceed to wrap things up with another masterful cover, playing a relentless version of Merciless’ “Back to North”, capturing the blistering energy of old school death metal.

For its impeccable musicianship, folk-tinged melodies and convincing, thematic delivery, Tulimyrsky is one of the greatest metal EPs ever made, shaming the full length efforts of countless other bands in its wake. Now that I’ve heard what Moonsorrow can accomplish with one EP, I’m more than anxious to get a hold of their official ‘albums’ and will be in restless anticipation for their next one. I will also urge you to do the same.

For Whom the Bell Tolls (Metallica Cover)